The Tallest Man on Earth
The Englert — Friday, August 28 at 8 p.m.
The Tallest Man on Earth is returning to Iowa City. Kristian Matsson (the eponymous “Man”), a singer-songwriter hailing from Dalarna, Sweden, is scheduled to play at the historic venue on August 28.
Matsson released his latest album, Dark Bird is Home, this past May, and in addition to some new delights, the album is a strong tribute to his earlier work. (Among those is his continued trend of recording both his voice and guitar in whatever home he lives in at the time.) This tour, however, will be the first time a full band will accompany the charismatic songster.
Matsson’s songs — recorded various homes, studios and countries — carry a warm and personal quality, like a like a well-worn sweater, or the smell of a good friend’s home. Sometimes, though, the allusion to familiarity comes across as eerie or melancholy, and some critics have commented on Dark Bird’s dreamlike vibe. Jeremy D. Larson of Pitchfork, says “[Dark Bird is Home] is [Mattson’s] most personal record, but not because it’s bare and raw, but because it’s surreal and dreamlike. He flits between our reality and his own, a world of only dreamers and travelers, flickering lights of towns, shadows and ghosts, birds and trees. It’s his way finding joy in his solitude.”
